


Out of Sight, Out of Mind

by FrostPheyonix



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Also shrinking lions, Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Following Canon but with Blind!Lance, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Seeing-eye lion?, Violence, Violence later and probably blood/gore?, klance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-10
Updated: 2016-12-15
Packaged: 2018-09-07 15:21:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8806027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrostPheyonix/pseuds/FrostPheyonix
Summary: When the crystal was blown up, Lance was blinded trying to save Coran. He attempts to deal with being unable to see and still trying to be a functional pilot for Voltron. Along the way he learns more about Keith, himself, and his lion while trying to save the galaxy.____Tags will update as the story progresses.





	1. Don't Freak Out

**Author's Note:**

> Everything was fine. Well it was until “Not-Rover” had blown up the power crystal for the castle. Lance had noticed at the last minute and thrown himself at Coran, not able to shield his own face from the blast. He watched as the flash of bright light consumed the crystal and how the darkness so quickly enveloped him.  
> When he felt himself coming to, he heard the sounds of a struggle. He couldn’t pin where it was right away and the sound of a choking grunt caught his attention. The shouts soon had their own voices.  
> “Pidge!” Was the loudest. Keith’s voice. Lance felt his blood chill and he struggled to reach for his bayard. When it was in his hand, he activated it silently and listened. As Sendak spoke, trying to get the others to surrender, Lance trusted his hearing and aimed. A small grunt and a few gasps were all he heard again before passing back out.

After a day of Lance being in the healing pod, everyone stood around in front of it. Coran had read on the side terminal the extent of Lance’s injuries, and he wanted to make sure everyone was there and attentive. With a small sigh, he put his hands behind his back. The others all looked at him expectantly and he knew he couldn’t put off speaking any longer.

“When Lance comes out, he’s going to have a lot to deal with. I don’t want you to surround him. Especially since there’s only a three percent chance he still has his sight. It should only be a few more ticks.” The four humans looked at him in confusion. He tilted his head before replying to their gaze. “What? Something I said?” Soon the group was discussing the difference between ticks and seconds with Pidge and Coran in the center of the group, each holding the small timers. Nobody noticed when the healing pod door dissipated and Lance stumbled out, reaching for anything. His foot hit the first step out of it at a weird angle and he slipped, sliding down the couple stairs and hitting his back against the floor. Lance let out a small groan and tried to rub his eyes. He couldn’t see how everyone’s attention nearly shot to him as they all froze and stared at him.

“Hey, guys? I know you’re there.” He let out a small laugh. “Is this a surprise party? You can probably turn the lights on. I’m pretty surprised.” His voice was shaky and nervous, almost as if he was trying to not freak out. “Seriously though. I’d be fine with, yah know. Some sort of answer. Please?” He got to his knees and tried feeling around. That’s when he heard the muffled sob. Pidge had to cover their mouth to keep from continuing too loudly. He froze where he was. “Pidge? Hunk??”

“Lance. Hey. Please don’t freak out,” Keith reached out and tapped his shoulder, “but the lights are on. C-Coran?” Lance didn’t move from where he was. His glazed eyes were wide open and staring at the floor. He jumped when the hand was on his shoulder and he wanted to scream when it removed itself just as quickly.

“Lance my boy. We knew you had a chance to be blind, and the pod can only do so much. We did try to do what we could. There might also be a chance it could come back! Why I had an uncle who lost his eye, but it grew back after a couple months. It was a bit awkward since it was upside down. I…” He stopped rambling when he noticed that there were teardrops below the blue paladin. Lance drew a shuddering breath before he curled up, sobbing on the floor. Coran scratched the back of his head. “Well. I mean. I’m trying to say that we’ll be here to help you. You’re still a paladin after all. And that means helping you get through this. Even if you won’t be able to see. Maybe… Ever.” By this point everyone was looking at Coran with unimpressed expressions. He could feel sweat begin collecting on his forehead. Lance felt a hand once again rest on his shoulder and he tensed a little, curling into himself tighter, trying to hide himself away in his darkness.

“Hey. Lance. You’re strong. You can do this. If you can survive an explosion and save Coran and then go on to wake up from a coma to shoot Sendak and save Pidge. I mean. Even without being able to see, you. Uh. Killed him.” Lance let a look of confusion wash over his face.

“Killed him? Did I? I actually killed him?” His voice was thick with emotions and Keith tugged him up into a hug, nodding into his shoulder as he held on. Soon everyone was around him and it became too hard to breath. Shiro noticed that he was breathing too fast and tried to wrangle everyone away.

“Guys, please back up a bit. Lance? Are you alright? Just. Listen to me. Breath. Focus on your breathing. Come on buddy.” As he spoke, Lance tried to follow his directions, taking a breath and then letting it out. At first it was shaky and harsh, but as he kept doing it, he felt himself steadying. Soon, he felt better and was no longer panicking. Keith slowly stood, helping him to his feet as well. Keith’s hand stayed on Lance, warm to the touch and soothing.

“What do we do now?” Pidge spoke up finally. Their voice was trembling and still not steady. “Like. How do we do anything now? Will he be able to fly his lion?” With each word, everything started to sink in. The other paladins looked at each other, hoping for some sort of sign. Allura looked confused for a moment.

“He should be able to fly fine if his connection with his lion is good. Remember that exercise for seeing through your lion's eyes? Well, that should work. I’m not saying it would be able at all times, but it would help some.” She walked quickly to the control pannel and started typing things in. “In fact Lance, if you want, I could start helping you right away after you get some food and a little extra rest. Maybe you would want to get some help cleaning up as well.” His face flushed slightly at the last bit.

“I’ll be fine with cleaning myself. Just.” He stopped talking and pushed away from Keith. “I’ll go back to my room then. Uh. Thanks. Or whatever.” He let his legs start carrying him until suddenly there was a wall and he was once again flat on his back.

“Keith, please stick with him. Get him food and help him get clean, if you would.” Shiro looked to the red paladin with a bit of a thoughtful frown. Keith opened his mouth to protest, but Shiro held up his hand. “Don’t protest this. Just do it, would you?” He spun around and looked at Hunk. “And could you find something that Lance could maybe use to find his way around? Pidge, you could help him if you want. I’ll stay here and talk to Allura and Coran. Lance.” He stopped for a moment, watching as Keith was once again helping the blue paladin to his feet. “We will figure this out, okay? We’re here for you.” Lance nodded in no particular direction, face turned towards the ground. Soon, Keith took his hand and started tugging him gently towards the mess hall.

“Uh, are you fine with eating first? I figured, well. You might be hungry. Since you’ve been in there a couple days.” Lance stumbled a bit behind him and he turned, placing his other hand on Lance’s shoulder. He didn’t respond as Keith scanned him briefly. “Unless you want to go rest or clean up. It’s up to you.”

“Just. Take me to my room please.” His voice was soft and held little remaining emotion. Keith winced a little before continuing, a little slower this time. They walked in silence until they reached the door. Lance felt the wall a while before finding the code pad and slapping his hand down on it. The door slipped open and Lance shuffled slowly in, leaving Keith back at the door. He waited a couple seconds before he put his arm out and started feeling around. Keith had to bite back the frustration at watching his friend struggle with something so simple as finding his bed. He hesitantly grabbed Lance’s arm and rested his hand against the bed before he retreated a step back.

“If you need anything, just. I don’t know. Call?” Keith rubbed the back of his neck, trying to be helpful.

“I need my sight back.” Lance’s voice was bitter and dull. Keith let out a sigh and took a couple steps out of the room, footfalls echoing in the shockingly quiet room. “Wait. Please. Can you stay with me?” He was quiet and Keith almost didn’t hear him. “Just. I mean in case I wake up and have to like. Go or something.” He sounded embarrassed and Keith couldn’t hold back the short laugh, making Lance’s face flare up.

“Yeah. I can. I’ll be your seeing eye dog for now. Just don’t ask me to literally act like a dog.” Lance let out a small chuckle at that, running his hand along the bed before he sat on it. He patted the bed beside him, offering a seat to the other. Keith moved closer and sat next to him.

“Hey Keith?” Lance spoke after a couple minutes of comfortable silence. He let out a small hum and Lance continued. “What would happen if I got a dog whistle? Or just whistled period? Wolf whistle?” As Lance spoke, a slight smile crossed his face and Keith groaned.

“So great. Now is when you start acting more Lance-like.” He smacked the other’s shoulder lightly, getting a small whine of complaint from the blue paladin.

“Not fair. I can’t see things coming now. Gotta warn me next time.” He flopped onto his back on his bed, reveling in the soft blanket and the way it wrapped lightly against him. Keith shifted next to him and they lay there, legs hanging off the edge of the bed, laying on their backs. Before long, Keith noticed that Lance’s breathing was steady and slow, until a loud snore shook Keith out of his rest and he peered at Lance. He was dead asleep, one hand slightly under the medical shirt that he was wearing, tucked right against the edge of his pants. The red paladin tried to not snort as he shrugged off his coat and draped it over Lance like a blanket of sorts before settling in a chair near the bed.


	2. Training Isn't Easy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so I didn't anticipate the amount of attention this story got right off the bat, so I'm gonna keep rolling along. If you find any mistakes please tell me. I'm typing this late at night after long shifts at work and I'm drained. I will try to keep updating as frequently as possible though. ^^ I also think that the seeing-eye lion should come in soon. Like within he next chapter or two. Literally the whole reason I decided on this AU even. Just for that concept. Enjoy this chapter!! ~

When Lance woke up it took him a few moments before everything registered. The fact that he was blind was the thing that kept to the front. A comforting feeling pressed itself into the back of his mind and he let out a small sigh as if some tension was relieved. Something twitched at his side and he reached out with his hand, finding that someone was still there. An idea forced its way in his head and he smiled slightly, carefully feeling until he found the other person’s nose before squeezing it shut. A few seconds and they shot up with a snort.

“The hell was that for, Lance? Oh you’re awake.” It was Keith and suddenly Lance felt even better about his decision. “Most everyone else already got breakfast like… Three hours ago! Holy shit I promised Allura I’d be there to help set up. She’s going to seriously kill me.”

“Set up what?” Lance’s curiosity got the better of him and he sat up. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to make it feel less like it was sticking to his head and more like it’s usual shaggy mess. “What were you going to set up?”

“Well something about some simple training exercises for you. Mostly revolving around trying to maneuver without having to touch things. I told her that it would probably take more time…” He scratched the back of his head. “Well she’d explain what she wanted better than me. I’m just supposed to babysit you.” Lance winced a bit at his words and Keith tried to catch himself. “Not that you’re a problem or anything. Just to make sure you don’t walk into a wall again. It’d suck if you ended up hurt for something dumb.”

“You’ve been talking more than usual,” Lance mused out loud for once and Keith felt his face heat up. “And you’re awkward as hell. Just chill and let me take the lead in this dance.” With that Lance got up from the bed and held out his hands, going in the vague direction he remembered the small closet being. With plenty of stumbling he found the closet and pulled out some clothes, not bothering quite to feel what they were. Keith made a sound of protest and tried to take something from his hands.

“Lance, give these to me. You don’t need two pairs of pants. Seriously. You could at least feel what they are, right?” Keith’s exasperated voice grated on his nerves for some reason. 

“Maybe you should go babysit someone else and let me change. I’ll be fine. So, just get out.” Lance didn’t want to turn to him, just in case he saw the tears that the blue paladin could barely feel in his eyes. The same eyes that were now useless. Soon the reality of everything was catching up to him. In his memory he could still see his mother’s face smiling as she held his new sister. He could still see the beach glowing in the sunset as he became a part of the castle for his three younger brothers as his older brother took pictures of them.

“Lance? Hey I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.” The hand on Lance’s shoulder caused him to whirl, glaring the direction of Keith’s voice.

“I don’t need your pity!” His voice was bitter and harsh as it tore from his throat. The trails down his cheeks left cool lines on his face. Keith took a couple steps away, hand falling to his side. “I don’t need anything. Just. Go away.” He dropped the clothes he had been holding and covered his face with his hands.

“Can’t you see I’m trying to help you?” Keith tried picking up the clothes from the floor while he spoke. 

“No! I can’t see. I won’t see. Even when we go home. I won’t be able to see.” His voice went from anger to a choking sound. He fell to his knees, hands held in front of his face. Keith could only watch as the blue paladin broke down not even a foot away from him. “I won’t get to see Mama’s face when I get home. Or any of the beach with its shells. I won’t see my baby sister with her brown curls laughing at bubbles again. Or if she even is a baby anymore.” Lance felt an arm wrap around his shoulder and tug him into a hug. A sob burst from his chest and he clung to Keith, who had knelt down beside him. After a few minutes there was some knocking on the door and Lance rubbed the tears from his face, feeling around the floor for the clothes.

“Lance? Is Keith in there too?” It was Shiro. “We’re going to be training soon. Did you still want to come?” He sounded concerned and unsure and Lance let out a shaky laugh.  
“Yeah.” His response was almost too quiet and Shiro put his head against the door to be able to hear better. “I want to get over this as soon as possible.” The door opened and Shiro about fell before quickly straightening, feeling a bit flustered at being caught so off guard, even briefly. “I can’t make the team suffer, yah know?” Lance flashed a half-hearted grin at Shiro before walking out of his room without his usual jacket or even socks.

“Just remember not to rush yourself. Sometimes it’s better to take it easy.” Shiro set a hand on Lance before he could get too far. “And maybe get out of your current outfit. That’s what you had on in the pod. Keith, didn’t I tell you to maybe help him get cleaned up?” Lance turned when he heard a small snort.

“He was tired. Didn’t want to accidently drown him if he decided to fall asleep on me in the shower.” Lance felt a small laugh burst from his chest and soon he was bent over, laughing over the thought of Keith having to save him from drowning. The other two looked at him with some concern before Shiro shrugged and threw Keith a look.

“Just hurry up if you guys are going to join us. Don’t need Pidge to keep asking how the ‘boyfriends’ are doing.” Lance felt his face heat up as he heard Keith start spluttering protests. After a couple seconds more, Shiro’s footsteps began to fade and Keith grabbed Lance’s arm, tugging him gently back into the room and handing him a pile of clothes and helping him reach out for the small desk in the room.

“Use that to balance if you need. I’ll let you get changed. I won’t look either, I promise.” Keith’s voice was somewhat clipped and Lance let out a laugh.

“You can look if you want. I know my body looks great.” Lance chuckled as he changed. Keith knew he couldn’t see or feel his warm face, but he still didn’t know how to react while his back was turned. “If you care, I’m done. Lead me, my seeing-eye-dog. Seriously though. You said it was something about trust exercises? Like the ones where we were supposed to see through our lions?” His voice sounded a little excited at the prospect and Keith smiled. Lance felt him tug on his arm, leading him from his room and to the hanger where the lions were kept. As they got closer, Lance felt the comforting presence slam into the back of his mind, making him grin. Allura’s voice started to carry through the hallways, the soft ring of it bouncing sweetly from the smooth walls.

“Now when Lance gets here, we will begin. We will once again try flying some, this time right from the moment you guys get out of your hanger, you will be forced to rely on your lions.” She glanced from where she was talking to the rest and waved slightly to Keith, trying to hurry him. “This might be mostly for Lance’s benefit, but it never hurts should anything more happen. As for that, everyone to your lions.” Allura watched as Hunk hesitated next to the group, glancing a bit to the arrived duo. “And Keith, please help Lance to his lion and then hurry to your own.” Hunk had his question answered and seemed some sort of satisfied, at least enough to go to his own lion. Finally when Lance was seated in his lion, he patted the arm rest of it. 

“Alright now paladins. I want you to all fly your lions out of here and when you’re all out, I’ll shut the visors off for the lot of yah.” Coran’s voice came through the helmet. “Then I’ll give you all simple maneuvers and you’ll all have to keep from hitting each other. Just like a good old game of dodge the meteor! But with lions!” He sounded too excited, as he usually did when trying to train the paladins. “On my word… Go!!” The hanger doors opened and soon everyone was flying out besides the blue lion.

“Come on now. It’s gotta be this combo…” Lance muttered in his lion, too soft for his coms to pick up on right away. “Maybe it was…” He heard a harsh sound from the console in his lion and he let out a frustrated groan. “Come on, can’t you fly yourself? You did when we left Earth. Why is this so much different.” The presence in the back of his mind pressed determination into him as well as a realization. “So… You want me to be able to do this?” The feeling became an affirmative and he grinned, slapping the wrong key pad and getting an error sound.

“Lance, you know we can hear you, right? Who are you talking to?” Keith sounded a little worried and the blue paladin couldn’t hold back the chuckle that escaped.

“Who else? Blue. She’s the only one that could be able to help me right now, anyways. He finally took a moment to try to focus on seeing through his lion’s eyes. He couldn’t, and with a small sigh he punched the button finally that would cause him to accelerate forward, right into Keith’s lion. It was going to be a long training.

________________________

Lance dragged his feet as Keith led him. Shiro rubbed his lower back a little ways ahead of them as they all walked back from the hanger. Pidge kept trying to crack their neck with no relief and Hunk looked about as green as their armor. Allura and Coran met them in the small living room area with impassive faces. With a collective groan, the paladins sat on the couches after the less-than-impressive training.

“It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I think there was definitely some improvement.” Allura started, trying to keep the group’s spirits up. Lance sneered in her direction.

“Improvements to what? I doubt I was flying better and what’s worse is Blue keeps refusing to just pilot herself. How am I supposed to figure out the controls. It’s not like it’s all reduced to like two joysticks or something.” He was clearly upset about it. His hopes for being able to have the ability to see again, even through his lion, had started to wane. The princess clapped her hands.

“You only have to prove to the lion that you mean to take care of everything even with your present handicap. We believe in you, and your lion probably does as well. Maybe go clean up and get some rest. You all must be tired.”

“I haven’t felt that sick since. Well since the flight simulation back at Garrison. That was not fun.” Hunk looked up from where he held his head in his hands and turned to Pidge. “Speaking of, didn’t you fall almost the exact same way?”

“Shut it, banana-man. I didn’t fall the same way. I was ejected. And right into the console, no less.” Their voice was bored in reply. “Plus I think we all agree on one thing.”

“What’s that?” Shiro asked as he stretched out on the couch. Keith started to lean on Lance, head tipping to the side. The smallest paladin tucked their legs under them where they sat. 

“That if we need to, we can throw Lance in Yellow. The enemy wouldn’t stand a chance to the erratic flying and smashing abilities.” The blue paladin felt a little disheartened at their words but still tried to chuckle. 

“Call me the wrecker, cause I’m gonna utterly crush anything in my way.” His voice was strained as he thought back to the practice. It was less training and more him trying to poorly pilot his lion who seemed to think it was funny to allow him to smash into his teammates multiple times while also giving him no sight. Blue pushed her comfort and determination into the back of his head again and he sat up just a little straighter. He would eventually be able to pilot the blue lion again. Even if he did have to go from sniping to smashing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyways tell me what you think about my beta-less 2 am story and maybe I'll eventually get a set schedule where I won't be updating this late at night.

**Author's Note:**

> So. First time in forever doing a fic and first time posting to AO3. Please tell me what you think below and I hope you enjoyed this short excuse of a first chapter. ^^;  
> I also won't be following a specific update schedule, but if everything goes well enough, I might try to do it weekly, if not bi-weekly. .u.


End file.
